Song of Happy Women
by Nan Ma
Summary: Xiao Qiao and Da Qiao. The two sisters spend time together.


"Quails run with happiness

Rabbits jump with happiness

Butterflies fly with happiness

Do you wonder why?

It is because she has a husband

It is because she has children

It is because she made her husband's home comfortable and peaceful.

Happiness is found in a harmonious home

Happiness is found with a husband and children."

"Jiejie..."

Da Qiao stopped singing and looked at her sister.

The little girl was spending the evening as she always did, coloring in her wooden dolls in childishly elaborate designs. Today's creations reflected her current favorite color: orange.

Xiao Qiao used to love white, until she went to a funeral for the first time and saw a dead body. Then red started to make an appearance on everything she owned. After that, she was obsessed with pink and green, together, although unfortunately she was forced to learn the hard way that mixing two beautiful colors together did not always add up to the sum of their parts. Nevertheless, it had been a very educational experience in disposal of paint. Currently, it was the Era of Orange, as evidenced by the orange curtains, orange sheets, orange frames, orange rugs, orange shorts, orange ribbons, orange hats, and orange socks that suddenly populated the room. Her previous colors were cleanly tucked away in layers.

Da Qiao liked the layers. They were like the rings of a tree, chronicling her sister's years as they passed. If she cut down the middle of Xiao Qiao's favorite pillow, she suspected that she would find soft, neat striations of color, each passed on in its own way. The older sister knelt down and reached for a doll. Its wooden body had been smeared with one too many puddles of colors, and as a result it languished out of Xiao Qiao's sight. With a practiced hand she wiped off the wet paint with a cloth and began to repaint the body white. "Yes?"

"T' song you were singing. You sing it a lot."

"It's an educational song," Da Qiao said, biting her soft red lower lip as she carefully painted delicate eyes and a smiling back onto the wooden doll. "Our old Mama used to sing it to us, remember? It's something women need to know. And now I'm singing it to you."

"I miss Mama."

"She's not your Mama anymore."

Xiao Qiao stiffened. The sisters had been over this many times before, and the little girl obviously did not feel like ruining an otherwise fun evening with argument. Da Qiao knew that it would appear at a later time, though, and kept her thoughts in order.

"The song's lyin'," she finally said.

Her hand jarred, and the brush drove an angry streak of black across the doll's face. "Meimei?"

Xiao Qiao was silent, her back turned to her sister. She continued to paint shoes onto her wooden doll in a shade of burnt orange.

"Meimei, what do you mean the song's lying?"

"Animals can't get married."

Da Qiao inwardly let out a long sigh of relief and tried to wipe the black paint off of the doll's face, but to no avail. Her fingers only succeeded in smearing it and grinding it into the surface, making it even worse. "It's just a fun way to tell something," she said. "The animals aren't really getting married-"

"Good. 'Cause I ate a beetle yesterday."

Da Qiao froze. "…What?"

"Yeah. And if it was married that would be really sad. There'd be a widow beetle then and orphan beetles…"

They painted in silence for a while until Da Qiao continued the song.

"Deer run with happiness

Mice jump with happiness

Birds fly with happiness

Do you wonder what duty makes them happy?

It is because she cherishes her husband

It is because she cares for her children

It is because she made her husband's home comfortable and peaceful.

Happiness is found in a harmonious home

Happiness is found with a husband and children-"

"That song's lying again."

Da Qiao hid a smile. "The animals are just a way to show how a woman-"

"Not the animals. The second part. The song's always lyin'. First it says animals can get married. Then it says that the only way you can be happy is if you have a husband and kiddos. What if you don't?"

Did Xiao Qiao realize how silly she was? "Well, can you be happy without purpose?" she asked.

Xiao Qiao frowned. "Dunno. Purpose? But I don't think a husband's my purpose, really. I mean Mr. Zhou's nice and all but why should I blah-blah-blah to him?"

"Because he is your _husband!_" Da Qiao said sternly, standing up.

"Dun see him around much," Xiao Qiao replied stubbornly.

"Meimei if you keep on being a bad girl-"

"I'm not being a bad girl! You're just being weird!" Xiao Qiao insisted. "I mean I don't get it. You keep on singing the song and saying that a husband's all that matters. Well I don't have one and I'm right fine-"

"_Xiao Qiao you are married._" Da Qiao took a shuddering breath. "As am I. Stop talking like that-"

"Married don't mean you got a husband."

Da Qiao's already pale skin blanched livid in the light of the room and she dropped the doll, thankfully already dry, onto the floor, where it landed with a soft thump.

"Xiao Qiao…" She squared her jaw, the little vein in her neck suddenly throbbing furiously

"I know I sure dun have a husband. Sure we went through all the ceremonies and stuff and all, but that's the last time we saw them? We don't even hang out with them- oh poo, I missed a spot!" she exclaimed, lunging to grab an orange-ladled brush. "Besides, I don't care. I'm happy here with you."

Da Qiao lowered her head, not knowing what to say.

"I love your dolls. Why're they prettier than mine?" Xiao Qiao asked jealously, peering at the one on the ground. "It was so ugly just two minutes ago."

Perhaps Xiao Qiao could be a foolish, selfish girl, but Da Qiao suddenly picked up her sister in a tight embrace. "I'm happy here with you too. But… I don't think this can be true happiness. There's only one way to that."

"Oo, ouch sis, you're crushing my ribs!" Xiao Qiao exclaimed in a false gasping tone before giggling and grabbing her sister's cheeks in her hands. "Besides, says who? Even if you do act weird, I love you too." Xiao Qiao smiled patronizingly. "Don't worry. Just stop singing those songs. If we're happy, who cares what they say? Here, let's sing a new one." Without waiting for Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao's high sweet voice broke into the air.

"Is it true,

Is it true?

To say life is beautiful?

Is it true,

Is it true,

To say love is wonderful?"

* * *

Uh, the song's a translation of a folksong. I'm no good at translating. Yeah... They weren't butterflies. They're actually weirdass bugs that crash into your window but I don't know the English name. I substituted some animals in for animals I'm too lazy to translate. The last song is an excerpt of one of my songs I thought went well.


End file.
